Switch mechanism.



J. G. AKERS. SWITCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION II'LED JULY 10, 1912.

Patented July 29, 1918.

IN VE N TO gj/bcfe o/z 9 3255.

ATTORNEY WITNESS ES UNTTED TATE PATENT @FFTQE JOSEPH Gr. AKERS, OFPHTLAIDELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR F ONE-SIXTH TO ROBERT E. ERWIN ANDHORACE PETTIT, BOTH OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH G. AKERs, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Switch Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to switches, and particularly to thatclass employed in street railway construction, wherein it is desired tothrow said switch from the front platform of the vehicle engaging thetrack and without the necessity of alighting from said vehicle.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a switch mechanismcomprising a plurality of tracks, a movable member or switch point,pivotally mounted levers arranged to cooperate with said switch pointand manually operative means carried by a vehicle and arranged toactuate one of said levers to shift said movable member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch mechanism whichis simple and eflicient in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, andcomprising the least pos sible number of parts liable to becomedisarranged.

Further objects of the invention are brought out in the followingspecification and appended claims, and the device as a whole isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a planview of a single track including a switch and embodying the preferredform of this invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one end of avehicle, showing a fragmentary section of the mechanism carried therebyfor shifting the switch mechanism; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 ofFig. 1 in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 1 is a section on theline 1- 1 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, and particu larly to Fig. 1 thereof, the rail5 may be of any desired construction, but in the present case is shownas having a groove 6, and interrupted adjacent to one end of said figureby a movable member or switch point 7, pivoted at 8 and arranged tooscillate in the widened portion 9 of the groove 6, while, coincidentwith the point of said movable member, a branch track 10 starts.

It is evident with the construction thus Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed July 10, 1912.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Serial No. 708,584.

far described that the flange 1 1 of the wheel of any desired vehicle 16will revolve in the groove 6, while the face of the wheel 17 bears uponthe tread 18 of the rail 5. As the wheel progresses upon or along saidrail, it will continue to traverse the main track 19, when the movablemember of the switch point. 7 is in the position shown by dotted linesin Fig. 1. However, if said movable member is shifted to the positionshown in said figure, the flange 14 of the wheel 15 engaging againstsaid member will tend to direct said wheel into the branch track 10.

In the present invention there is disclosed a simple and efficientmechanism by which the throwing of the hereinbefore mentioned movablemember or switch point is accomplished, which mechanism consistsprimarily of a relatively short lever or rocker 25, centrally pivotallymounted at 26 upon a bracket 27, secured in any suitable manner to theshank of the rail 5, and having each of its ends arranged to enterapertures 28 in the head 18 of said rail, and thence eX tendingalternately into the groove 6. How ever, if such is desired, instead ofmaking apertures by any suitable method in the head 18 of the rail 5where desired, the head 18 may be simply cut out for a short spaceapproximately from one to two inches in extent and the ends of the leveror rocker made to enter said cut out portions. This construction mightbe found particularly useful in the case of applying the improved deviceto a track system already in use, and comprising any of the common formsof rails.

On the side of the rail 5 opposite to the lever 25 is pivotally mountedat 33 a relatively long lever or rocker 34, one end of which is arrangedin the preferred form to enter an aperture 35 in the head 18 of the railand to normally bear against the movable member or switch point 7 at apoint substantially opposite to that point at which the correspondingend of the lever 25 engages said movable member. The opposite end of thelonger lever or rocker 8 1 is arranged to enter a similar aperture 35 inthe head of the rail 5, and from thence to eX- 10 ers 36 and 36 arepivotally mounted thereon and said ends of said levers are reducedvertically in such manner as to permit said rollers and the respectivereduced end portions to enter the apertures in the head of said rail 5.However, the rail 5 may be cut out to receive the ends of the lever 34in a way similar to that described in connection with the lever 25,while the lever 34 is mounted upon a bracket 37, which is in turnsecured to the shank of the rail 5 in a manner similar to the bracket27.

For automatically throwing the switch point 7 without necessitating thedismounting of the operator from said vehicle, there is provided anysuitable means, such as that shown in Fig. 2. This mechanism comprises ashoe 40, carried upon the lowermost end of a rod 41, which extendsthrough the slot 42 of the vehicle 16, and carries adjacent to its upperend a pedal 43, while its upper end is pivotally secured to one arm' ofthe bell crank lever 44, which in turn is pivoted at 45, and carries onits other arm a suitable handle 46. The rod 41 has also secured theretoa plate 47, a short distance below the slot 42 of the vehicle, andnormally pressing upwardly against said plate is a compression spring 48supported at its lower end by a bracket 49, secured in any suitablemanner to the base 42 of said vehicle. Normally the spring 48 of thismechanism, pressing upwardly on the plate 47, maintains the rod 41 inits uppermost position, thus suspending the shoe 40 at a suitabledistance, approximately three inches, above the rail 5.

As the vehicle 16 is traversing the rail 5 in the direction of the arrowshown in Fig. l, the switch point being in the position also shown insaid figure, and it is desired that said vehicle shall be switched fromthe main track 19 into the branch track 10, the operator of said vehiclecontinues the movement thereof without in any manner manipulating themechanism carried thereby. If, however, it is desired to proceed alongthe main track 19, said operator needs only to pull the lever 44 by thehandle 46 outwardly, or to press downwardly with his foot upon the pedal43, either of which actions depresses the shoe 40 into the groove 6 ofthe rail 5. The shoe 40, as it comes into contact with the roller 36 ofthe lever 25, also extending into the groove 6, shifts said lever aboutits pivotal support, and thus, by the cooperation of the opposite end ofsaid lever with the switch point 7, shifts said switch point into theposition shown by dotted lines, as a result, permitting the wheel of thevehicle to traverse the main track 19 as desired. If from this positionwith the main track open the operator on a second vehicle equippedsimilarly to that just described, desires to proceed by the branch track10, it will be noted that the lever 34, having assumed a position inwhich the roller 36 projects into the slot 6, while the roller 36 hasbeen removed therefrom, all that it is necessary for said operator to dois to depress the shoe 40 into the groove 6 before reaching the roller36. Then, as said shoe comes into contact with the roller 36, the lever34 is forced into the position shown in Fig. 1. Continuing past saidroller, the operator releases the shoe 40, which immediately rising byvirtue of the upward pressure of the spring 48, rides safely over theroller 36, thus, allowing the branch track 10 to remain open. Thereleasing of the shoe by the operator in this second instance isnecessary before reaching the roller 36, for the fact that, if suchaction is not taken, said shoe, coming into contact with said roller,will shift the switch point? into the position from which it has justbeen moved by the cooperation of the shoe with the roller 36.

By the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, the applicanthas shown and described one embodiment of this inven tion, which hebelieves to be the preferred form, but he desires to state that he doesnot wish the appended claims to be interpreted as anticipating only thisspecific construction, but to also anticipate any modifications whichmay be made therein which still remain within the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is: V

1. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers unequal in length, one ofthe ends of each of said levers cooperating with said member upon theopposite sides thereof, and the opposite end of one of said leversproject-ing into an extension of one of said tracks.

2. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers unequal in length, one ofthe ends of each of said levers cooperating with said member upon theopposite sides thereof, and the opposite end of one of said leversprojecting into an exten sion iii-one of said tracks, while the corresponding end of the other of said levers is positioned in spacedrelation with said track extension.

3. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair ofoppositely positioned levers unequal in length, one of theends of each of said levers cooperating with said member upon oppositesides thereof, and the opposite end of one of said levers projectinginto an extension of one of said tracks, while the corresponding end ofthe other of said levers, is positioned in spaced relation with saidtrack extension and at a point a greater distance from said member thanthe corresponding end of said firstnamed lever, and means carried bysaid vehicle to shift said first-named lever to operate said member.

4. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers, one end of each of whichcooperates with said member, while the opposite ends of said leversproject alternately into an extension of one of said tracks as saidmember is shifted from one extreme position to the other, and meanscarried by said vehicle and manually operative to enter said track andcooperate with the end of said lever projecting thereinto.

5. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers unequal in length, one ofthe ends of each of said levers cooperating with said member upon theopposite sides thereof, and the opposite end of one of said leversprojecting into an extension of one of said tracks, while thecorresponding end of the other of said levers is positioned in spacedrelation with said track extension and at a point a greater distancefrom said member than the corresponding end of said first-named lever.

6. The combination of a switch compris ing two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers unequal in length, one ofthe ends of each of said levers cooperating with said member uponopposite sides thereof, and the opposite end of one of said leversprojecting into an extension of one of said tracks, while thecorresponding end of the other of said levers is positioned in spacedrelation with said track extension and at a point a greater distancefrom said member than the corresponding end of said first-named lever,and means carried by said vehicle to shift said first-named lever tooperate said member, the shifting of said member operating to shift oneend of said second-named lever into said track extension.

7. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of vehicle into either of said tracks, witha pair of oppositely positioned levers, adjacent ends of which normallycooperate with said member upon opposite sides thereof, while theopposite ends of said levers project alternately into an extension ofone of said tracks as said member is shifted from one extreme positionto the other.

8. The combination of a switch comprising two tracks, a movable memberoperative to guide the wheel of a vehicle into either of said tracks,with a pair of oppositely positioned levers, one end of each of whichcooperates with said member, while the opposite ends of said leversproject alternately into an extension of one of said tracks as saidmember is shifted from one extreme position to the other, and meanscarried by said vehicle and manually operative to enter said track andcooperate with the end of said lever projecting thereinto, to shift saidmember into its opposite extreme position.

9. A switch mechanism comprising a plurality of tracks, a movable memberarranged to guide the wheel of a vehicle into any one of said tracks,pivot-ally mounted levers of unequal length arranged to cooperate withsaid member, and manually actuated means carried by said vehicle andoperative to actuate one of said levers to shift said member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of July, A.1)., 1912.

JOSEPH G. AKERS.

Witnesses:

C. l/VAITr BRADLEY, EUGENE M. JEANNISSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

